Official Synopsis: Ashley was a child prodigy on the TaeKwonDo octagon, headed for international competition had she stayed the course. But when the haunting memory of childhood molestation caused her to turn to the numbing effects of drugs at the age of 15, her athletic career was pinned to the mat. Now 21, Ashley is deeply addicted to crack cocaine and IV opioids. As she and her girlfriend are evicted from their apartment for their disruptive fights, excessive drug use and partying, her family fears that, without an intervention, Ashley will disappear into the streets forever.

What’s Memorable: Kathy is obviously a very smart, vibrant, fun, strong woman when she’s not high or trying to get high. She had ROUGH childhood, and adulthood for that matter, so it’s not shocking that she would turn to drugs. But she did so great for a while and her slide from where she once was is so unsettling. Her misery about being who she is right now, while simultaneously demanding to be able to stay that way, is a difficult thing to watch. I had high hopes for her recovery, too bad it didn’t take. Hopefully she’ll get herself into treatment and get back to being who she really is.

Official Synopsis: Wealthy entrepreneur loses everything to crack, reducing her life to a never ending cycle of prostitution and begging. (Canadian produced.)

Official Synopsis: As a child Melissa endured an unstable and tumultuous upbringing. As a teenager, she found a friend in crack cocaine and began a life of partying and drugs that continued until her son was born. Eager to create a stable life for her child, Melissa went cold turkey and enrolled in nursing school. But the good times did not last long. Melissa fell narrowly short of graduating, and slipped back into a life crack cocaine and heroin abuse. Now, at 32, Melissa sells her body to support her habits and has lost custody of her son. Her family fears that she has nothing left to live for and, without an intervention, will soon be dead.

What’s Memorable: The well-meaning parents so profoundly and tragically enabling of their daughter’s addiction. They’re in it deep, repeatedly paying lip service to creating boundaries but never able to do it, right up until the last epilogue screen. My hope is that they get help for their own health and well-being and that it ends up helping Katherine too.

Official Synopsis: Katherine was a bright college student with dreams of becoming a journalist until she was abducted and brutally assaulted. Katherine swiftly spiraled, becoming dependent on a dangerous mix of drugs to mask the trauma. Her parents have already purchased a burial plot for her and are certain that it’s only a matter of time before they bury their only child.

Official Synopsis: Rob was already a successful business owner when he inherited over a million dollars and several valuable properties from his father. But after his father’s recent death, Rob, a former crack addict, picked up the pipe again after years of sobriety. In just 12 months, Rob has blown through 200k of his inheritance, has shut down his once thriving business, and now his wife and family fear for his life.

Katie Y.Age: 28Location: Wilkes-Barre, PennsylvaniaAddiction: Heroin, CrackWhat’s memorable: “I don’t get high, I get un-sick.” Sitting on the couch doing drugs all day every day, having dentures because the drugs rotted her teeth, 13 failed rehab attempts. I think I was most struck by the fact that there was no addiction trigger, she apparently just got in with the wrong crowd. It’s hard to understand how anyone could go so far down this path without a trigger to start the self-medication.

Official Synopsis: A woman who was once an elite Irish dancer resists her family’s efforts to save her from a life of cocaine and heroin addiction. Katie was the star of her family. She was smart, outgoing and traveled the world as an elite Irish dancer. It could have made it her career – but she got derailed into a life of cocaine and heroin addiction.

LukeAge: 23Location: San Francisco, CaliforniaAddiction: CrackWhat’s memorable: Living on the streets with his mother who is willingly homeless just so she can keep an eye on her son. That’s some crazy co-dependency there. The craziness that he spouts when he’s high is disturbing. The intervention and followup is a tear jerker, very affecting. I hope this family is well now.

Official Synopsis: Luke, 23, dreams of a career in photojournalism, but his daily cocktail of drugs has derailed his college plans and left both him and his mother struggling to survive on the streets of San Francisco.

DanaAge: 33Location: Alvin, TexasAddiction: Pain killers, crackWhat’s memorable: This is one of those addict stories that begins entirely with a horrendously traumatic incident. It’s also one where no one really blames her for becoming addicted and wanting to numb out. Few of us could ever imagine the pain that losing 3 children at one time would cause. It’s simply unfathomable. The fact that she still has one child left is her saving grace.

Official Synopsis: Once a vibrant supermom, Dana numbs the haunting memories of almost dying in an apartment fire with a dangerous cocktail of crack and prescription pills.

TerryAge: 56Location: Grand Junction ColoradoAddiction: CrackWhat’s memorable: Doing drugs with his son, relapsing after 18 years, losing 10 million dollars in the recession, living alone in that mansion, the position he held in his community for so long, the tough childhood, what a likable and self-aware man he is.

Official Synopsis:
56-year-old Terry, a charismatic businessman, spiritual leader and father, was destroying his legacy with his crack addiction and taking his adoring son down with him.

What’s memorable: The abuse they suffered and how Susie would take the brunt of it to protect her sisters, the amount of violence she experiences now as a result of her addiction, the weird dynamics the twins have, the awesome followup and how amazing and healthy they both looked after treatment. Really there’s lots going on in this one, but what will stick with me the most is Miriam giving in and smoking crack with her sister after everyone was talking about how worried they were that she’d relapse if she spent too much time with her. That scene was harrowing.

Official Synopsis: Attractive, charismatic 41 year-old twins, Susie and Miriam, battle crack and alcohol addictions and each other as their career success and families slowly slip away.

SuzonAge: 35Location: McKinney, TexasAddiction: CrackWhat’s memorable: The husband who told her he had feelings for someone else, before the other woman even knew about it. And then, Chris. His reaction to the possibility of Suzon’s rehab: “I don’t get paid until the 30th, babe.”

Official Synopsis: Once a supermom who took her kids to soccer practice and kept a spotless home, Suzon’s life spiraled out of control. Now she lives with her new boyfriend, collects scrap metal, and sells prescription drugs to pay for crack. Suzon needs an intervention, but her mother threatens to hijack the process with her old resentments. Can mom put aside her agenda and help save her daughter?

RichardAge: 53Location: Wendell, North CarolinaAddiction: CrackWhat’s memorable: Richard is the epitome of the self-loathing addict. He positively hates himself and what he’s doing to his family, but his pain is so great that he just can’t stop. He is so very, very sick. And so is his wife. She and their daughter have sacrificed their livelihoods to take care of him and keep him alive.

Official Synopsis: Now 53, Richard has kept a traumatic childhood event secret all his life. As early as age 11, he used alcohol to numb the emotional pain. As an adult, he was diagnosed with diabetes, and his health problems were exacerbated by his drug and alcohol abuse. He was able to keep his addictions in check while he and his wife, Sandy, raised two children. But when he was injured at work, Richard abused his prescriptions and eventually became addicted to crack cocaine.

What’s memorable: I can’t begin to imagine the guilt and pain that Tyler feels over his siblings’ overdoes deaths, considering he was the one who introduced them both to heroin, they died within weeks of each other, and he found them both. This is one of those where I have no problem at all understanding why the guy needs to numb out every day. What’s awful about that is that he’s on his way to dying too, and if or when he goes his parents will have lost ALL of their children to drugs. So unimaginably tragic.

Official Synopsis: A gifted mechanic, Tyler, 26, worked in the family business with his brother, Zach, and his sister, Ashley. Their father built the business to provide his children with a wonderful life. But the family’s dreams turned to tragedy when Tyler found both Zach and Ashley dead from drug overdoses. Unable to cope with his loss, Tyler now fills his days with drugs and alcohol

RockyAge: 50Location: Camden, New JerseyAddiction: CrackWhat’s memorable: Well, the cry. It may be a “funny” meme, but there’s a whole lotta pain and suffering in that cry, and maybe some relief. And the son who declares that he hates his dad, but during the intervention he cries as he reveals how he really feels. It’s very powerful stuff, all of it.

Official Synopsis: Rocky Lockridge, once a world champion lightweight boxer, is now a homeless crack addict living on the streets of Camden, New Jersey. He began abusing cocaine whilst the champion, but switched to crack after his boxing career ended. His addiction has alienated him from his twin sons and his brother, and his only support left is from his best friend Joey, an aspiring boxer who provides him with food and money to finance his addiction. When short of cash, Rocky panhandles to finance his $75/day habit. In spite of Rocky’s long-term crack addiction, it’s clear that he still has a heart and a soul and wants to get well and reconnect with his family. Can an intervention save him before he loses his life to this disease?

VinnieAge: 28Location: Hartford, ConnecticutAddiction: CrackWhat’s memorable: How he gets money for crack by stealing and selling auto parts, his poor put-upon enabling mother, his dog Max as primary companion in the place of the family he wants so badly. It’s a very sad story. He’s so lonely, so desperate, so addicted, and completely aware of all of that and truly hates himself for it.

UPDATE: As of the followup that aired July 10, 2016, Vinnie is still clean doing great!

Official Synopsis: When Vinnie was a boy, his father abused him physically and verbally, leaving his mother feeling helpless. He developed a love for fast-paced sports, including BMX, motocross, and car racing, but his need for speed turned into an addiction to crack cocaine. Now, Vinnie lives in his car with his dog and smokes up to $1,000 worth of crack a week. Vinnie’s mother tries to make up for not protecting him when he was younger by giving him money and a place to stay. But Vinnie needs more than that–he needs an intervention.Original Air Date: January 2010

DonaldAge: late 30’s?Location: Mastic, Long Island, New YorkAddiction: Crack, alcoholWhat’s memorable: Did you know that the mix of crack and alcohol results in more deaths than any other 2-drug combination? I didn’t know that before this episode. It’s surprising actually. I woulda thought maybe heroin and xanax, or pain meds and alcohol. ANYWAY, Donald seems like a thoroughly decent and caring guy who just can’t stay away from crack when life becomes just too hard for him to deal with (and things have certainly been hard, no doubt about it). He has a lot to lose and a lot to look forward to, I hope he was able to stay sober.

Official Synopsis: When he was five, Donald’s parents divorced. He longed for a strong father figure, but his father had very little contact with him. Donald became a gifted boxer, but ultimately chose drugs over his career. He joined a violent gang and turned to stealing to support his crack habit. Now his son is angry because Donald wasn’t there for him growing up. Donald’s girlfriend just had a baby and Donald has a second chance to be a good father, but his crack use is spiraling out of control.

ChadAge: 34Location: Sacramento, CaliforniaAddiction: CrackWhat’s Memorable: “At the end of the day I love being on the street. Best times of my life.” Chad’s a voluntarily homeless panhandler who teats women like shit and makes like 2 grand a month and spends it all on crack. To be honest, I think Chad’s kind of an entitled self-righteous ass. He was a jerk before he became an addict and he’s way more of one as a crackhead. I wish him well though.

Official synopsis: After a troubled childhood that sent him to juvenile hall for felony arson, Chad’s father introduced him to cycling at age 15. Chad went pro and cycled on the same team as Lance Armstrong. But after getting kicked off the team for “personality conflicts,” Chad was crushed and turned to drugs. Now homeless, Chad spends his days panhandling, smoking crack, and drinking. His family’s many efforts to get him off the streets have failed. Their last hope is an intervention.

AndreaAge: 31Location: Ontario, CanadaAddiction: CrackWhat’s Memorable: The 67 year old man who she met when she was 13, who became her boyfriend after college when she was 21 when he was 75. “I would take my clothes off for 400 a month, and we would call that my wifely duties.” Effing EWWWWW. And now he’s having her “fondle” him. Dude’s a barely-law-abiding delusional pedophiliac creep. “Well I think she does it because she loves me, I hope that’s why she does it”. Ugh.

Official synopsis: Not long ago, Andrea, 31, decided to follow in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother and become a nurse. It was a field in which she excelled and was revered by colleagues and friends. But all the while, Andrea was hiding a dark secret–a growing crack addiction. Now she’s lost her job and relies on several male friends to buy her drugs.

LornaAge: 52Location: Los Angeles, CaliforniaAddicted to: CrackWhat’s Memorable: Lorna had some sweet moves, she was quite the Soul dancer. And she’s been addicted to crack for 30 years, which doesn’t happen often. And her poor son, born addicted to crack.

Official synopsis: Once a Hollywood success story, Lorna is now a crack addict. She danced on Soul Train and for the “Ike and Tina Turner Revue” in Las Vegas, then landed a big job at A&M records. But the music industry party scene led to drug addiction, and she even abandoned her three children. Lorna needs to get clean and make amends with her kids before it’s too late.

TimAge: Mid-20sLocation: FloridaAddiction: CrackWhat’s Memorable: Oh, Tim. This is the episode the gave us the iconic image of the crack addict curled up and crying in the storm drain. Sums his addiction up pretty well. Also memorable for the way he treats and is treated by his girlfriend and her show biz family, and his intense neediness, mental instability, and violent tendencies when high.

Official synopsis: Tim was an accomplished producer and a talented musician with a lucrative career in the entertainment industry, but a crack addiction nearly destroyed everything he treasures. An intervention is his last chance–but will it work?

LatishaAge: 39Location: Kalamzaoo, MichiganAddiction: CrackWhat’s memorable: Latisha appears to really like herself and her life, fancying herself popular and well liked, but the image she has of herself is a bit different from how people actually see her, as her daughter says.20 hours a day smoking crack at her kitchen table, she can’t be too popular. Her kids at the intervention were heartbreaking. So glad she went to treatment.

Official synopsis: A mother of three, Latisha will go to any lengths to feed her crack addiction, including prostitution. Having been abandoned by her own parents because of their addictions, she’s happy with her life and just wants her family to get off her back, but the needs of her young daughter Tuesday are going unmet. There’s only one way to save Latisha from her herself–an intervention.

Update: John sent me an email – he’s doing really well. He’s been sober since his intervention almost 9 years ago and is married with a son. He even gives talks at local high schools, sharing his story in the hopes it can help students. Congratulations for all you’ve accomplished in your sobriety John, and thanks for keeping us updated.

Official synopsis: At 33, all John can see is the loss in his life. His mother died when he was 12. This year, he lost his sister, his cousin and his best friend. His only escape from it all is in his addiction to crack and alcohol, an addiction that has already come close to taking his life. His family and friends cannot imagine losing someone else. Their only hope is an intervention and the possibility that John will seek treatment.

AntwahnAge: 39Location: Los Angeles, CaliforniaAddiction: CrackWhat’s memorable: Man, Antwahn has just about every possible addiction trigger out there. He had a really rough life. Also he seems like a super decent guy (other than doing things like stealing his daughter’s birthday presents to buy crack with) and you really root for him to get his shit together.

Official synopsis: Antwahn played professional basketball for the Los Angeles Clippers and in Europe for over a decade, but when a serious knee injury ended his career he began to binge on crack-cocaine and ended up on skid row.Original Air Date: March 2006Interventionist: Ken

MichaelAge: 22Location: ConnecticutAddicted to: Rage, alcohol, crackWhat’s memorable: How scary he is. $20k worth of property damage to his own house. He’s physically abusive to his family. His dad actually prefers it when he’s on crack because he’s not as violent. Scary stuff right there.

Official synopsis: Adam, who began using heroin after his girlfriend broke up with him, panhandles money at gas stations to get enough money to score. His family is “hanging on by a thread” and desperate for intervention help.Original Air Date: December 2005Interventionist: Jeff

MeganAge: 25Location: Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaAddicted to: CrackWhat’s Memorable: 36 straight hours smoking crack in her boyfriend’s mother’s basement, the brother who abandoned her comes back from Scotland for the intervention.

Official synopsis: Once happy-go-lucky, Megan, 25, is now a volatile drug addict who scares her family with her unchecked anger. A child of neglect, Megan is now enabled and financed by her guilt-ridden mother. She spends her days drinking and smoking crack. How will Megan react when confronted by her family in an intervention they believe is needed to save her life?

AlysonAge: 27Location: Can’t tellAddicted to: Morphine, crack, marijuanaWhat is most memorable about this episode: Alyson stealing morphine from her dying father from a safe in his bedroom as he sleeps.

Official synopsis: Alyson was a White House intern and an award-winning student. She met a boy in college who showed her the world of drugs and she became an addict. Alyson now lives at home with her parents and is a heavy user of morphine and crack. She works hard to alienate herself from the people who love her. Alyson also takes painkillers from her dying father.Original Air Date: March 2005

Official synopsis: Matt, who comes from an upper-middle class home, is addicted to crack-cocaine and has stolen from his family and friends to support his habit. Desperate, his parents turn to an interventionist to save Matt from himself.Original Air Date: April 2005